Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has admitted that ticket prices at the club are set to rise yet again during a face-to-face interview with Gary Neville.
This comes after the latest price hike by Ratcliffe and his company INEOS was met with a barrage of outrage from loyal Man United supporters.
INEOS’ price hike decision also sparked a protest by fan group ‘The 1958’ during the 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Despite the enormous backlash experienced by the club owners, Ratcliffe revealed during his interview with Neville on The Overlap that fans can expect ticket prices to rise once again.
When Neville brought up fans’ frustration over ticket prices and proceeded to ask if further hikes would be implemented next season, Ratcliffe bluntly replied: “A little bit, yes, we will. But not a lot.”
Neville then asked how much the price rise would be, to which the INEOS founder responded: “We’ll know in a couple of weeks.”
Remaining determined in his quest for answers, Neville asked for clarity on how price increases are determined, particularly given the frustration that fans have had and the further anger they are bound to feel.
“My guidance to the management team is that we have to look after the faithful supporters,” Ratcliffe explained, identifying them as the season ticket holders who go to all games, regardless of the calibre of the opposition.
“The ticket pricing has to be fair and it has to be affordable to the local people and there are different people,” he continued. “Some people live in Manchester, some people come across from Hong Kong or come up from London or something, they’re a different group of people in a way.”
“I think the ticket pricing can be different depending on who we’re targeting,” Ratcliffe confirmed, explaining that the structuring of ticket prices is needed.
Finally, the United minority owner gave his explanation as to why ticket prices need to increase.
“If you look at the income for Manchester United, it comes from three places. It comes from TV revenues, it comes from merchandising – selling shirts, all that type of stuff, and sponsorships – and it comes from ticketing. And you have got inflation,” he clarified.
Still, Ratcliffe revealed that discussions are in place over making exceptions to price increases, such as freezing the cost for under 16s.
While the reasoning for price hikes may potentially be justified given the club’s financial position, Ratcliffe will indeed be walking a fine line should a ticket price increase be announced early next season, potentially damaging his reputation in the eyes of fans who have already been infuriated by the Glazers’ rule at the club.
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
